A family was left distraught after the their loved one and "protector" died in a road traffic collision in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Ryan "Murphy" Furbert, 43, of Happy Valley Lane in Pembroke was rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital shortly after 2.15 a.m. but was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to a Police spokesperson, Mr. Furbert was travelling south on Frog Lane and Montpellier Road when he lost control of his vehicle and collided with the curb.

He is the 12th person to loose their life on Bermuda's roads this year.

His mother, Melody Furbert, 65, told The Royal Gazette: "It's been overwhelming. I can't talk, I can't think. It's just total shock.

"I'll miss his kisses and just being Ryan, just being here. He was a good man he had his faults, but he was a good person."

According to younger sister Nicole Furbert-Fox, 41, the family heard the bad news from a cousin around 5 a.m. yesterday morning. "Our cousin came and told us, he said that Ryan died in a bike accident. I couldn't believe it at first and then I thought of my mom.

"My mom just came back from fighting cancer. This whole year she has had heart surgery, cervical cancer and now the death of her son, so my concern was for my mom.

"Also my dad passed away three years to this day, from cancer."

Since the news broke, family and friends have been calling constantly to give the Furbert family their support. In addition, the Furbert's have been relying on prayer and faith to get them through the tragedy.

Mrs. Furbert-Fox spoke fondly of her brother saying: "He loved me dearly and I loved him. He was my protector for a lot of years especially in my younger days, keeping the boys away from me. He was always like 'stay away from my sister'. He sent me home early when I wanted to stay out late."

She continued: "I will miss his smile, he just had one of those smiles. And just his personality, he got along with everyone."

Mr. Furbert's first cousin Rhonda Wilkinson was at the family home to offer her support yesterday. She said of her cousin: "He struggled in life, but he was always upbeat, always making people smile and laugh.

He definitely was a protector for all his little cousins, he just brightened a room and always made me laugh and was always there when I needed him."

Cousin Nicole Hassell added last night: "He was a good fellow."

Mr. Furbert, a grounds keeper at Devonshire Recreational Club, leaves behind three close nephews Ricco, 22, Skyah, 18 and Zackary, 11, and close family and friends.

One friend, who wished to remain anonymous, described Mr. Furbert as a "very kind and loving guy. He never said no, always hugged everyone around here. He liked football (and was) always a clean guy, he loved to clean."

She continued: "We are going to miss him around the (Devonshire Recreational) club, he was the custodian around here. We could always count on him and he would always go on errands for us, he would give you his last, (and) he loves kids."

The woman found out about his death early yesterday morning and wasn't able to sleep for the rest of the day. "He will be sadly missed by the whole Devonshire Rec and Cougars group. Ole, olé, olé. Love him like life. He will be missed but never forgotten," she added.

Bermuda Road Safety Council Chairman, Chris Johnson commented on the death last night. He said: "The Bermuda Road Safety Council wishes to express heartfelt condolences to Mr Furbert's family. We grieve with the family after the untimely death of their loved one. Twelve other families have been touched this year by road safety tragedies. Let us, as an Island community, use this poignant moment to reflect on the dangers of our roads.

"We call upon families, religious groups, sports organisations, schools, friends to come together and remind each other of the need to be vigilant about road safety."

The Bermuda Police Service offered their sincere condolences in a press statement yesterday. They also asked for witnesses or anyone who could account for the last movements of Mr. Furbert to contact PC Delphi Burrows on 295-0011.